Assassin's Creed: The Hidden War
by Cityinnightmares
Summary: Mason Rivet is an assassin. He has just arrived to Time City so he can help defeat the Templars, an organization bent on destroying freedom and ruling the world with an iron fist. Watch Mason's story unfold as he tells you about his past and finds out just how dangerous these Templars truly are.
1. The Target

**Chapter one: The Target**

I take a deep steady breath and aim my bow and arrow. It only takes a few seconds until the arrow hits and kills the guard. What an easy kill for what's supposed to be a highly guarded building. It's only been about an hour and I have already reached the third and final floor of this building completely undetected, although it did take a lot of effort to make it this far. Only a few rooms left and I should be in my targets office. My name is Mason Rivet and I am an assassin. I was sent here to assassinate a man by the name of Edgar Chambers. This man is a Templar agent and is responsible for the murder of 9 unsolved homicide cases. He also threatened the police force to make sure 4 of these cases were closed. The other murders were never discovered and so they put missing by the police. I need to make sure this murderer is brought to justice and pays for his crimes.

The Templars are an organization of people who aim to make a perfect world, but this "perfect world" is a utopia created by those who believe freedom will only create chaos and greed, so they wish to destroy it. They believe order and control can create a world where everything will be peaceful. A Brotherhood was created to prevent the Templars from ever succeeding. They are called the Assassins. I am a part of this Creed. We are a group of assassins who wish to protect the freedom of the people and to allow the growth of humanity

With a few silent kills, distractions, rigged cameras, and hacked computers, I make it past some of the final rooms quickly. Shit. This could lead to some problems. I'm in a vent that is just below room with at least ten guards. This is as far as the vents go, which means the only entrance to Edgar's office is the door. I could probably take out all these guards in a few minutes, but not without making a huge amount of noise. There has to be another way. I might be able to kill them individually without them noticing. No, it would be to obvious, they would notice something's going on and would probably evacuate Edgar before I get a chance to make my move. Maybe I could sneak right past them. No, that wouldn't work either. There are guards posted in front of the targets office. They would see me and sound the alarm. I don't have enough time to get a guard outfit either. Plus I doubt they would believe I was a real guard anyways. Fuck it. I'll just have to try the frontal approach. They will be too busy with me that they won't be able to alert anyone that I'm here. I just hope Edgar doesn't make a run for it.

I drop down from the vent and quickly launch arrows into the throats of three different guards. They're completely alarmed by this and before they could even do anything I pull out my revolver and shoot two of them. Five down. Now they have a mixed emotion of fear and anger. I bet they're not too sure what they just saw was real. Two of them come charging towards me, but they're blinded by their anger that they don't realize they're about to run into my hidden blade. I pull the blade out and kill one of them but the force of his body pushes me back. Before I can get my balance back the other guard tackles me to the ground but by doing that he has ran into my blade. GRAAHH! All of a sudden I feel a raging pain on my back. One of my arrows must have fallen out of my quiver and struck my back. It's not a serious injury but it sure as hell hurts. I think one the same guard is on top of me because I'm feeling a huge amount force pushing me to the floor. He punches me for about a minute straight until I take an arrow and jam it into his neck and kill him. Only two guards left now. I kill one of them with a revolver and then point an arrow to the last one. At this point he is crying and begging me to spare him. Unfortunately I can't leave any witnesses. I apologize and kill him as painlessly as possible. Now that that's over I can get to Edgar's office

I enter Edgar's office and am welcomed by a gunshot and the smell of gunpowder. The bullet hits the wall right beside me though it's not surprising. I think that was just a warning shot, but I am sure that is the last one I'll be getting from Edgar.

"LEAVE NOW OR ELSE THIS TIME I WON'T MISS!" Edgar shouts.

"You will be dead before you get a chance to fire another bullet." I say.

"Why are you here anyways? I deserve to know that much at least!"

"9 innocent people are dead because of you and for what reason? Because they knew too much about who you really were and who you are now? Because they were in your way to the rise of your power or was it because they didn't agree with your idea of a better future? Or was it that you were so FUCKING terrified of the threat they presented that you had to pull the trigger and murder them as if they had nothing better to do than ruin your bullshit future, as if they had no one that would notice something was going on? Do you plan on killing them to? I know for a fact you intend on killing 4 other people and I cannot allow you to continue. Edgar Charles, you have committed unforgivable crimes and you must pay for your crimes with blood!"

"How do you know all this!?"

"It does not matter anymore. All that matters right now is that you die."

"And what makes you any better, assassin? You must have killed so many people by now. Why do you deserve to live, what makes you so much better that you can just ignore your crimes and believe you can still pass judgement on others and decide who lives and who dies? ANSWER ME!"

There is nothing but utter silence for a few minutes. I've been asked this question so many times. It's not like I haven't tried to let them live, but each time is always the same. I spare someone's life and they promise to stay off the grid. They stay silent for a few months. Then I hear of awful crimes, murder, Templars, and a name I hope I was hoping I wouldn't hear again. People have died because of my misplaced mercy and all I can do is feel guilty and fix my mistake. I've learned that for people to live freely and happy, some people must die. This is why I became an assassin. Still that doesn't excuse murder.

"WELL? … I SAID ANSWER ME!" Edgar screams out, terrified of what will come next.

"Are you done screaming?" I'm not going to play these games with him.

He's petrified. He knows he is about to die and that there is nothing anybody can do about it, and that these will be his final thoughts.

Before I can do anything a whole group of guards come bursting out of the door. Fucking hell. They must have realized something was wrong and came up here immediately. They're all pointing guns at me. I don't know how I can get out of here and get Edgar. I realize there's only way I can get out of this. I was really hoping it wouldn't come to this.

"Clara …." I utter.

There's nothing but silence for a moment. A few seconds later a huge explosion erupts and the guards start panicking. I rigged up a bomb on this floor that would only activate if I were to say a secret pass-code. Clara was a friend of mine, and it was because of her and my family that I joined the brotherhood. I did this as a last resort just in case Edgar was escaping or if something else had gone wrong. The explosion will kill almost everyone on this floor, even if they were just civilians. Luckily there are no civilians on this floor so only the guards will die, but that doesn't make this any better. I still need to get out of here and kill Edgar. I charge toward Edgar and run through the window behind him. We are both dropping through the sky plummeting to the ground. I am holding on to Edgar to make sure he doesn't get away and then I open a parachute, knowing something like this might happen. Holy shit. I think one of the guards just shot the parachute. They did. Edgar and I start falling down.

"OHH DAMMIT!" I yell out as I fall to the ground.

The fall didn't kill us but I did just fall on my knee knee. Other than that I think I am ok beside for a few cuts and bruises. Then I realize Edgar has disappeared. Gone. He must have ran when we fell. No. Wait a minute. I see him now. He is trying to escape but I won't let him. I get up, limp towards him and fire an arrow. It gets his back and he falls down. I walk toward him and see him crying, so I decide to end his misery.

"Do I really deserve this, assassin? I would have made this world a better place. A place where there is order and no chaos. I was trying to make this a better place." Edgar says, dying in my hands.

" Your idea of a better place is wrong. It is a utopia. A place without free will. A place where no-one but the Templars are actually free. That is not a better place." I tell him.

"Freedom will creates chaos and war. Order creates peace and no need for violence. Why can't you see that?"

"You're wrong. Free will creates diversity, ideas, and choices.. emotions like fear, grief, frustration, happiness, completeness, love and so many more. These are what make us who we are. This is what gives us humanity. I hope you will understand this in the afterlife."

"Only the future can tell who is right. It is unfortunate that I will not be there to find out the answer."

"Edgar Charles, you lived a life of greed and power and was blind to the truth. May you find a better way of life in the afterlife."

Those are his last words before he dies. I leave his body a few blocks from here so someone can find it and decide what to do with the corpse. I hear police sirens. I don't know if i should stay here and fight or hide. I have to decide quickly before the police find me or the body.

I run.

**End of chapter 1**


	2. Mason's Past and the Brotherhood

**Chapter Two: Mason's Past and The Brotherhood**

"Nice to see you again, Mason, I heard there was a small explosion at the new Abstergo building not too long ago. What a shame." Jack says.

Jack is part of the Creed, just like me, but he was born into the Brotherhood, I joined at the age of 19. His full name is Jackson Williams, he is about 28 years old, a year older than me. He's a skilled assassin and is dedicated to the Creed. He has long straight black hair and is dark-skinned. He is pretty tall and is a little slim. He mostly wears collared shirts and a hooded black coat with blue jeans and tennis shoes. As far as I know, he mostly just keeps tabs on the Templars and reports their recent activity, but I'm still new here so I don't know for sure if that's all he does. He's a lawyer who works for a company called "Finest Meals" but it's really just a cover. He's technically our lawyer in case any of the assassins get into any trouble, but most of us stay off the grid. I've heard he's a talented killer but I kinda hope I never end up on an assassination mission with him. I can't imagine him being a killer, but I'm sure he has spilled his fair share of blood.

"Yeah, a real tragedy…." I say. I actually do mean it, since I didn't actually want to bomb the place, but I doubt he believes it. "Wait- do you mean it's on the news already?"

"It's been two hours. Almost every news reporter around here has their fingers on this as if it's the news of the century. By the way, do you think this could have been avoided?" He says, almost like I planned to blow up the floor.

"Not unless whoever did this was okay with his assignment becoming a suicide mission." I mummer. I wish I could tell him "What did you want me to do? There were about a dozen guards pointing their goddamn guns at me, and I wasn't planning to die for a lowlife like Edgar." This secrecy was all Jacks idea. I don't like having these meetings at a bar, either. If it were up to me, I would just have these meetings at sewer or an abandoned warehouse. Hell, I'd love to have a building where the Creed could grow, but then we would be too exposed. Besides we're too small a group to even need a building. We're not exactly large in numbers.

"Let's just hope it doesn't happen again." Jack and I have not really been getting along, but that's because I'm still new.

I only just got here about a month ago. I use to live in Canada at a place called Saltbeam City. I was part of the Creed there, until they sent me here and told me Time City needed someone like me. I'm part Canadian and part Salvadoran (My dad came from El Salvador to Canada where he met my mother and raised me there). It was because of my family and my childhood friend, Clara that I decided to become of the Creed. We lived a pretty normal life and didn't have much to complain about, except for school. As a teenager, I was picked on alot at school and I would get in trouble with the school. One day when I was at school I got into a fight with some assholes who about a grade higher than me. It was painful and felt it lasted for hours but it was only actually a few minutes. I thought I was going to end up in the hospital until some of the teachers sent them to detention. A girl named Clara called the teachers and told them what was going on and came as soon as they could. She tried to help me up but I tried to keep it together and tried to get up on my own. I ended up going to the nurse, but Clara still followed me and asked me if I was okay. I wasn't in the for talk, but she kept following me. Eventually, I gave in and decided to give her a chance. We walked home and Clara asked me if she could come over my house for a while, because I told her about my collection a show I use to watch. Clara was a girl about my age with brown hair and white skin. she would always wear a huge scarf and clothes that would reference shows and books and games that she liked. She was very smart and was placed in advanced classes. I was just lazy student who played video games and watched anime and kept to himself. I never imagined I would be friends with someone like her. We would hang out all the time and watch shows and play video games and just talk about anything and everything. She would make fun of my orange hair and I would tease her about her ridiculously long scarf, which reached to her hips. We became best friends and my parents treated her like part of the family.

**10 Years ago**

One day, a new mayor was elected but within a few days, he was missing. A new mayor was elected and made several new rules that would make our lives a living hell. The school schedule became longer, and we were required to have very high grades and had to wear a uniform. Everybody above the age of 16 was required to have some sort of job no matter what the current situation with the person was. We also had to be at our homes by 8 pm with very few exceptions. There were several other rules just like these. The punishment for breaking these rules was being sent to some kind of camp. I would always wonder how the mayor was able to pull bullshit like this and not get noticed. We were a small city but I still expected someone to catch on. A month later the mayor was killed in public and things got crazy, but eventually everything just went back to normal.

At this point Clara started feeling suspicious about everything that was happening and started talking about government conspiracies, but I never really believed her. I had no idea at the time but she had just discovered the hidden war of the Assassins and the Templars. She started talking about how the mayor was somehow connected with a drug company called Abstergo. This went on for months and every few weeks Clara would uncover some new facts about Abstergo and found several connections to group called the Templars. She would post these crazy theories about the Templars and Abstergo working together on the internet. I always teased her and said we were being watched. One day while we were walking home we noticed that there was a man in a suit following us and we started getting paranoid. We started running and the man chased us. When he got within Clara's reach I tackled him to the ground and at that moment I thought I was going to die because there was a gun pointed to my face. My head started filling with thoughts of confusion, regret, and fear. Then he fell to ground with a knife shoved to his back.

There was a man behind him who just stared at us for minutes. He had just killed that man and saved our lives. This man is a complete stranger and yet he was ready to kill for us. Then he starts running from us, but without even thinking Clara and I start chasing him. We were in an abandoned warehouse when he stopped and we realize he has been leading us here all along. I didn't it know it until we were there but his face was completely concealed. He was wearing a trench coat and was wearing a hood on his head and a bandanna covering almost his entire head except for his eyes. If anything, he kinda looked like a hit-man.

"You must be Clara…" The man said. He stared at Clara for so long and she looked so terrified. I wanted to protect her so badly, but I couldn't move a single limb, my mind wouldn't let me move and I felt like I was going to watch Clara die.

"Ye-y-yes that's me" Clara explains, stuttering and shaking.

He then stared at me and his eyes widened. I realized I was holding a pencil I had in my pocket as a weapon and I was shaking so much. I must have holding tears back because he started apologizing. "I'm so sorry I must be terrifying you to death. Please take a seat." He then sat down crisscross on the ground and pulled out food enough for all of us. Clara and I had no idea what to do, or what was even happening, so we decided to just sit down on the floor. He then handed us some food and we ate for about 5 minutes silently. "I bet you must be wondering what just happened." He then takes the hood and bandanna off and revealed himself to be a pale young man with short brown curly hair. Me and Clara just stared at him with surprisement. I think we both didn't know what to expect. "My name is Kevin. That man was going to kill you, Clara." Clara's eyes widened with surprise, but I think we both knew that.

"WHAT?!…But why?" Clara screams this out at first, but then she lowers her voice.

"Because you know too much…. Clara… the Templars… they are real and they want you dead." Me and Clara were surprised by this. This was the last thing that was on our minds and now it's the most important thing we have just discovered.

"What do you mean?!"

He then explains to us about the Templars and the Assassins. About everything. He tells us how the Templars began practically at the beginning of civilization and how the Assassins rose to stop them. He told us about Altair, Ezio, Connor, and several other assassins who have helped- no, saved us countless of times without us even knowing. He told us countless names of Templars; these were people we would never expect. Robert de Sable, Rodrigo Borgia, Charles Lee and the list goes on.

"There were scared that you would start convincing people that there was something going on, so they wanted to get rid of you"

"They were going to kill me, just like that?! They were just going to shoot me and Mason just like that?! HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE!? I WAS JUST CURIOUS AND NOW THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT ME DEAD!"

"Please, calm down. They're not going to kill you, or your friend, Mason. Me and the brotherhood will make sure of that."

"How do you know we will be safe? If what you say about these people our true, they could just make us disappear or send us to prison for something they just made up? What about our parents? Our they safe?" I asked all these questions, feeling like an asshole. I wanted to trust these people, but all of this was unbelievable and just so surprising. And these Templars sounded serious. I doubted that these Templars would just give up and let us live.

"What do you propose then, Mason?" Kevin asked. Both Clara and Kevin were paying full attention to me, wondering what I was thinking.

"What if …. What if I become an assassin?

**Present Day**

I decide to leave the bar because I don't really feel the need to stay if they don't need me.

"Hey why don't you have a beer with us? I mean, if we're going to kill people together we might as well get to know each over a few drinks?" The man next to Jack blurts out.

This sends chills up my spine. Why the hell would that dumbass say something like that? Jack doesn't seem to give a single fuck that he practically spilled our secret. What happened to secrecy? The man next to Jack is called Marcus. He's also an assassin. He joined the assassins two years ago, but I don't know why he joined. He's four years younger than me, making him 23. He's pretty immature, but he's very talented at what he does. He works as a news journalist and makes sure no one catches on to us, whether that being completely erasing anything that could connect to us off the internet or getting rid of people who are suspicious of us (I don't mean by killing them, by the way). He basically keeps us off the grid. He is also a skilled killer and knows how to use just about anything as a weapon. He has black, bushy hair and a stubby beard and has olive skin. He's always wears a black leather jacket and plain white shirts with brown boots. I've only talked to him a few times, but it seems as though the other assassins have are either annoyed of him or respect him, usually both.

"Would you stop talking? And what the fuck happened to secrecy?" I whisper, hoping no one payed attention to what Marcus just said.

"Oh come on! This place is practically empty! Besides, they're all too drunk to understand a single word and, if they do, they'll just assume we're talking about a game or something!" Marcus is trying to explain but he just sounds like a dumbass.

I look at Jack to see if he's going to comment on this." Are you even going to say anything?"

"Just have a drink with us. Marcus may be an idiot, but he has a point." Jack simply says.

"Sure." I order a beer and start drinking. "Why the hell are we having a meeting at bar anyways?"

Jack starts explaining. "I told you already. Hiding in plain sight. We're safe here, trust me."

"I guess that does make sense." I decide not to argue about this because, odds are, we're still going to have meetings at this bar. "Is there something you guys wanted to talk about?"

"Relax, Mason, we just wanted to have a drink with you, is all." Jack says.

"Actually that's a lie. We need to talk. Let's start with some small talk, okay?" Marcus whispers. At least he's honest. "So Mason, how are you finding Time City to be. Is it anything like Canada, where everyone is nice and drinks maple syrup?" Marcus says, teasing me.

"I hope you know that's not true. You forgot about that part where people love hockey." I say, playing along with his joke. Marcus chuckles and takes a sip of his beer. "I still have to get used to not seeing the Mounties, I'm going to miss them." Marcus cracks up, spitting his beer out of his mouth.

"That's hilarious. I can't wait to make fun of Canada some more." Marcus says. "Where are you living anyways?"

"In an apartment I rented out a few days ago. It's small, but comfy" I say.

"You're not keeping that flashy outfit of yours there, are you?" Marcus says, asking about my assassin robes.

"OF course not." I wouldn't keep something like that where I live. Someone could find it and expose me. My outfit consists of large black hooded coat with a small green pattern, tracing along the coat, the bottom flap also ends with a small triangle figure, sorta like Connors. I also wear a black shirt that has the 'Wings of Freedom' symbol(It's from a show I watch). I have black dress pants, converse shoes, and a sling backpack with a taunting face sticking it's tongue out drawn on it. I use a pocket watch to keep time and I also use it to hide my poison. My weapons consist of a bow and arrow, a hidden blade, a few knives, and a revolver. I also use a small hacking device for, well, hacking just about anything. It kinda looks like a large pen. I would tell Marcus not to call it "flashy" but it is pretty noticeable. If I'm gonna kill someone, I might as well as look nice.

"I keep it in the sewers…" I tell Marcus and Jack. I've been using the sewers as a hidden base for my equipment. It smells, but it does keep my stuff from being found.

"I bet you kept it in the sewers at Canada, too…. speaking of Canada. I have some news." Marcus says. I know that we're done with the small talk, because he has a serious look on his face. "Apparently some unwanted company followed you here. Templars. About four of them. Marcus has my full attention right now. I came here because I was asked to help, but instead, all I brought were more problems.

"What are their names?" I ask. I feel that it's my obligation to kill these people so I need to know their names.

"I'm still working on it, but I know one thing for sure. And that's that we are going to need more assassins if we're going to live." Marcus says, worried. I thought everything was under control at Canada. The brotherhood practically had most of the country secured, but I get the feeling that these people don't fuck around.

"What can you tell us about these Templars? Jack asks.

"Well, I think they came to Saltbeam City with hopes of finding Mason, and decided to follow his tracks. That's all I know for now" Marcus explains.

Jack stands up and puts on his coat. "I'm gonna go to my office and do some digging. Keep me posted. And Mason, here is a list of known Templar that we need some investigating on. I need you to go find some more information on them so we can deal with them. I'll see you guys later." He slips me a piece of paper with the list of Templars, but I decide not to look at it until I go home, just in case we're being watched, and then he leaves the bar.

"I better get going too. I need to tell the other assassins about this. Mason you should finish you drink and get some rest. You've had quite a long day today considering you just killed a man today." Marcus says, smiling, knowing that it irritates me when he blurts things out like that. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, but you're meeting the other assassins tomorrow. I'll show you where to find them okay" He then proceeds to hand me about $30."Pay for our drinks when you leave okay? Thanks"

I quickly finish my drink and pay for the drinks and leave. There are so many thoughts rushing through head. Who are these people? How do they know me? What do they want with me? How much they know about me. By the time I walk home I can't sleep at all. I just lay on my bed for about four hours until I decide to turn on my television. Some kind of cooking show is on, but I'm not paying any attention. About forty minutes I realize there's mail for me from Canada on the counter. It doesn't have a name so I decide to just to open it. It's a letter asking about how I'm doing, but there is something odd about it. I then realize there's an encoded message. I'm trying to decipher until I find out what it says without even needing to finish.

**You need to run away before they kill everyone. I don't want you to die.**

I burn the paper and go back to bed. I don't sleep for the whole night. _What have I just gotten myself into?_


	3. The Assassins of Time City

**Chapter Three: The Assassins of Time City**

**Please. I'm begging you. You need to run away before they kill everyone. I don't want you to die.**

I still can't stop thinking about that message. It's been stuck in my head since I read it last night. **I don't want you to die.** Who would have sent me this? Why? And why all the secrecy? If this person knows things that I don't then why doesn't this person just tell me? Could this just be a trick to mess with my mind? I got to stop thinking about this.

"Hey! Are you there? It's me, Marcus!" I open the door to my apartment and find Marcus holding a crowbar. "Come on, It's time to meet the other assassins, and I don't think you want to be la- wow! You look terrible! You didn't get any sleep, did you?"

"I didn't have a good night. What's with the crowbar?" I ask. I decide to leave out the message thing to myself until I know more. I don't want to seem paranoid.

"I imagine this is what people use to get into sewers." Marcus says, sarcastically, shaking the crowbar like a key.

"I thought we were going to bar?"

"We got to change the meeting place every once in a while. Don't want to seem too predictable."

"Aren't we supposed to hide in plain sight?"

"Well… let me put it this way, I don't think a bar filled with assassins is exactly 'hiding in plain sight'. Besides, I thought you would've liked this idea better. Let's go!"

I put on my street clothes and start cleaning my face. Man, I do look awful. My hair is messy and dirty it looks like I haven't cleaned myself in days. My eyes have wrinkles and bags under them and I can't stop shaking because I'm too tired to stay still. I must look like a shun-in to Marcus. I wash my face and take a quick shower so I don't look so bad. After I'm done I get ready and follow Marcus outside my apartment to a sewage hole. He starts to crack it open with the crowbar and lifts the pot. "After you, good sir." I jump in and Marcus follows. "Come on, it's just this way." Marcus leads me through the sewers for about twenty minutes.

"So.. should I Know anything about these guys before I meet them?" I ask.

"Ugh… yeah there is. They kill Templars for a living and expect you to be an assassin prodigy. What do you think? Relax, I'm sure you'll make a good first impression."

We walk for a few more minutes and my mind starts drifting to the message I got earlier. What if it was the assassins from Canada trying to warn me about the Templars coming to kill me. It could be the Templars trying to scare and get paranoid.

"Hey, get your head out of your ass. Stop daydreaming, we're almost there and I don't want them thinking your brain is as empty as a drug addict." Marcus barks at me.

I think Marcus has been calling me for a few minutes now because he looks irritated I actually do start focusing about the assassins and I stop feeling paranoid. I got to keep a mental note to thank Marcus later.

"We're here" Marcus announces as he opens a vent. We find a room filled with about a dozen people who look heavily equipped with weapons. "Hey guys! I'd like you meet the new guy, Mason. He's got orange hair, came from Canada, and uses a bow and arrow." They all welcome me and we start having conversations. I walk around alone for a while until a man approaches me.

"So, you must be murderer of Oscar Flynt! Mason Rivet!" A man with a bottle of beer starts walking towards me. "Hi! I'm Dez. I just wanted you to know I'm a fan of your work. The day you killed Oscar may have been one of the happiest moments of my life. I only wish I was the one too shove that knife into that bastard's throat!" Oscar was a Templar I killed back in Canada. He was selling people for labor and he got the Brotherhood's attention. He was actually the first Templar I killed, which got me recognized by the other assassins. "So how long have you been part of Creed?"

Dez looks like he's in his late sixties, but I'm sure his looks are deceiving. He has a large white beard that smells like booze, and is almost bald besides for the patches of black hair on his side and back of his head. He's pale white and is wearing a black suit with an undone tie and has a strap of ammo across his chest, along with a sniper that has a knife attached to it.

"Uh… Oh! Sorry, I spaced out a bit! I've been part of the creed for about 8 years now. I joined when I was about 19."

"How fascinating! And just look at how talented you are! I joined a long ago when I was younger…..Say, you wouldn't have some money on you, would do?"

I can already see where this is heading." Uhh.. no. Sorry. Maybe next time."

Dez is about to say something but then Jack starts making some sort of announcement. "Attention. I have some news to make." We all gather our attention to Jack. I'm really hoping that Jack has some news on the recent Templars coming here, because it could get my mind off of the message I got and I could actually do something useful.

"Marcus has found out that there are a few Templars coming to Time City. I've done some digging and found out some important news. As it turns out it won't just be three Templars. There are more than 17 Templars coming here."

"What?" There are several whispers and a few gasp in the room. I can't believe this. Even Marcus's face turns serious. If just a few Templars can completely control a state, how much could 17 do. "Why?"

"We don't know yet. We have a few guesses, but don't worry Mason, I doubt they would send 17 Templars just to kill you."

_"Gee, thanks."_ I say. This actually makes me feel a better, but not by that much.

"Because of the growth of Templars we are going to have to start recruiting more potential assassins and we will all have to work harder if we are even going to have a chance to beat these Templars. Dez, you're in charge of making sure these recruits can fight. Mason, I need you to start looking into the Templars that were on the list I gave you." Jack gives orders to a few other assassins whose names I don't recognize. "Let's get started, ok?" We all say the Creeds code. "Nothing is true. Everything is forbidden." And most of the assassins start leaving.

"Mason!" Jack stops me before I leave. "I forgot to tell you. You will be working with Luna, another assassin, for a while just in case the Templars ambush you."

"Do you really think the Templars still want me?" I ask.

"With this amount of Templars here, I'm pretty sure they'll kill you if they get the chance. Besides, better safe than sorry."

"Sure, when do I get to meet Luna?"

"Now seems a good time as any. She's over there. And don't try ditching her, ok?" Jack points to a group of assassins. I don't really know any of them besides Dez, who seems to be telling them a story. I walk towards them and Dez calls me over.

"Ah Mason, come over here, would you? I was just telling our fellow assassins about my younger days. Would you like to listen- wait you don't know any of these people, do you?" Dez ask, and take takes a quick chug of his beer. I shake my head in reply. "Well, this is Elizabeth, Liz for short, Marcus's girlfriend. She's been part of the brotherhood for about a year." She extends her arm and we shake hands. Liz has brown skin and looks Hispanic. She has brown hair and red eyes with a scar on her cheek. She has a katana on her side that has a dragon design across it, and a decorative assassin outfit with a Japanese dragon pattern. "Unfortunately, she doesn't talk much. She leaves that part to Marcus." I look at Liz and she looks down, looking unconformable with the subject.

"I'm sure Marcus loves having someone to talk to for hours. I mean, who else could stand listening to him?" I say, teasingly. She smiles and lets out small laugh.

"I can tell you two are going to be good friends!" Dez say, cheerfully. He then directs my attention to another person. "This is Gunnar. He was born into the Brotherhood, just like Jack!" Gunnar is a tall, brooding, man. He is black, just like Jack, but a few years older. He's bald and looks really strong. He's wearing an assassin themed jacket and has an iron shoulder pad shaped like a bear's face. He has some sort of massive saw-axe strapped to his back. He looks really intimidating and brutal, but at the same time I feel like I would be safe while fighting alongside with him. I think he's related to Jack, because they have a few similarities.

"It's nice to meet you, Gunnar." I say. I extend my hand hoping for a handshake.

Instead, I just stand there awkwardly waiting for a handshake. He waves his hand at me and says. "It's nice to meet you too, Mason."

We all just stand there kinda uncomfortably until Dez blurts out. "Anyways. Finally, this is Luna." Luna shakes my hand and greets me.

"I heard we'll be working together, Mason." Luna says, smiling. She's has olive skin and Straight long blond hair with some tints of blue on it. She has wide grey eyes that make her look young, and she looks like she could be 24. She has a scar on her nose and one on her upper lip. She's wearing a long grey coat with a blue hood attached to it and a white shirt with the assassin emblem on it. She has a brown book bag that has a small knife poking out of one of the pockets, and an arsenal of weapons strapped to her coat. One of the more noticeable weapons is a tomahawk with an Assassin insignia on it, just like one of assassins I was told about when I first joined the Creed.

"Yeah, Jack gave me a list of Templars that he wanted us to investigate." I say.

"In that case, it's nice to meet you! Do you want to start now? I know where one of those Templars are staying."

"Sure, it wouldn't hurt to get a head start." I say.

"Cool, let's go! See ya later, Dez!" She waves goodbye and Dez waves his hand and takes another chug of beer as we start leaving into sewers. "So, what do you think of the assassins?"

"Oh, I didn't get to meet all the assassins. I only met- hold on a moment." I say. I start counting how many assassins with my fingers. "Let's see…I met Jack and Marcus the first day I came here…. I just met Dez a few minutes ago…. and then he introduced me to you, Gunnar, and Liz.. That's just six."

"And that's just the beginning! Some of those guys are really good friends. I'm sure they'll introduce you to the other assassins another time. How many assassins did you know when you were in Canada?"

"When I first joined the brotherhood there was only about 40 assassins and Canada was in the Templars hold. But now, there are hundreds of assassins there making sure the Templars stay away. But I guess the Templars decided to take America, seeing as how there here now."

"Well, I'm sure we can take them. We're almost there. We just need to get out if this sewer and we'll just be a few blocks away." Luna says. We leave the sewers and are now in an alleyway. I quickly change into my assassin outfit. When we get to the streets I see that we're in a marketplace. There are retail stores and people walking around selling ice cream and toys. Luna starts taking me to the far side of town and we stop when Luna tells me we have to start scaling one of the buildings. We start climbing a motel and she guides me to the top of one of the rooms. "Carl Webster lives here. He's worked for Edgar Charles but now he works for Spencer Laner, one of the Templars on your list. He usually leaves his apartment around this time to a shipping factory. I think Spencer is held up in there."

"So what's the plan? Are we going to tail him to the factory?"

"Yeah, then we infiltrate and plant this there." Luna shows me a small, little pod with a microphone on it.

"We're gonna bug the factory? Neat-o."

We wait for a few minutes when Luna asks me. "So, Mason, tell me about yourself."

"Well, what do you want to know?" I ask.

"Nothing in particular, just something interesting. Why did you join the Creed?"

"Huh. Well, I joined so I could protect some people I knew."

"Did you care about these people?" Luna asks, curiously.

"Well, I was willing to kill people for them." I say, stating the obvious. Memories of them start filling my mind. "I cared about them a lot. I still do."

"Are you still protecting them? Are they ok?" Luna asks. Memories start flooding my mind.

_You have no idea of what your capable of, do you! She DEAD because of you!_

I don't respond to her question. I quickly change the topic because I don't think I can answer that. "So why did you join the Creed?"

Luna pauses for a moment and looks at me with what looks like a sense of guilt. She could tell I'm unconformable answering the question so she follows along.

"Well… a few years ago when I was 22, I used to a common thief. I would steal, pickpocket, and rob people. I was homeless for years and I was desperate to survive. One day I followed a man home and I tried to rob him. He was old and drunk. When I pointed my gun to him with a pocketknife in my other hand, I threatened him to give me everything he had on him. He didn't cower or run or anything like that. He just asked me if this was all I wanted in life. I paused for a moment. Then he started laughing and babbling out nonsense. I swear I was about to shoot him. But then he apologized and asked me if I wanted a more 'adventurist' life. He took me to his home and we ate some leftover food he had. He introduced himself as 'Dez' and then he told me about the assassins. He told me about the benefits and what it would take to join. He was recruiting me. When I asked him why he thought I was fit to join the assassins, he laughed and said 'My dear, you have so much opportunity and so much spirit, you would be perfect for the Creed!' It took months of training, but I was finally able to join the Brotherhood and become an assassin. These have probably been the best years of my life, even with all the difficulties."

I'm about to say something when we both hear a small creek below us.

"Shhh. Did you hear that?" Luna whispers. We wait for a few seconds and we see Carl going into a car.

"Come on, we can't lose him." We start following him from the roofs and after a while we have to go onto the ground. I start wondering what to expect when we get there. When we get there we find a small run-down building with people walking around it. The whole block is practically empty besides for the workers and the occasional drug-addicts. This is where the Templars work? I never did imagine the Templars staying in a shit-hole like this. But even Templars have to get their hands dirty. We see Carl walking into the factory and two guards with him, probably to protect him from street thugs or assassins. I guess we were to be expected eventually.

"So what's the plan? Because I don't thinking waltzing right through the front door is gonna work out so well." I say

"Let's search the area for a way in. Remember, all we need to do is place this bug and leave as fast and quietly as we can." Luna whispers.

"Seems simple enough. Let's boogie."

**End of Chapter Three**


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